Operation Soaring Eagle
by Writer-Monkey-Esq
Summary: Because sometimes, one ally, however small, is all you need. Post ep 2x10, some spoilers, no longer a oneshot - there's more Regina, less Henry, with perhaps a hint of SQ-ish-ness thrown in for good measure. I'll get this summary right eventually...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I watched The Cricket Game last night, and with that ending [or, rather – beginning, middle and ending] any chance of sleep got blown out the window. [********So yeah, some spoilers I guess.]**

**Around about midnight, this idea popped into my head and I sketched it out at work the next day.**

**It's a little bit different than some of the other stuff I've written, but it made me feel better, sooo…**

**This is the first Once Upon A Time fic that I've ever written – I hope you like it.**

* * *

_**...**_

_**"Through all this ordeal his root horror had been isolation, and there are no words to express the abyss between isolation and having one ally. It may be conceded to the mathematicians that four is twice two. But two is not twice one; two is two thousand times one." **__**- G.K Chesterton.**_

_**...**_

* * *

She'd been sitting on the park bench for the better part of fifteen minutes – eyes closed, brow furrowed, perfectly still. The only clue to her tension her right knee, bobbing rapidly up and down.

She felt exposed here. She didn't like it.

She heard the footsteps approaching and tensed slightly.

Eyes opened.

Knee stilled.

"So you got my message."

She nodded, her eyes not meeting his gaze.

It had hardly been a message - her skeleton keys had disappeared, in their place a single oak leaf.

The last time they had disappeared, he had asked her to meet for lunch. While he had stood her up then, she had hoped – and a wild hope it was – that this most recent disappearance signalled another, similar request – the leaf a clue to the location.

She hadn't thought he would appear.

But here he was.

Standing before her.

"What was it that you wanted to say, dear?"

She bit her lip, waiting for his outburst – his tears, his accusations, his cutting words.

She waited in vain.

Regina raised her head, and his eyes stared into her, in a manner not unlike that other pair of green eyes.

"…Did you do it?"

She swallowed hard, her next word no more than a whisper.

"No."

"…Okay."

He nodded sharply, swinging up on the seat next to her, unperturbed – leading into a train of thought with the enthusiasm that she had never been personally subjected to.

She smiled softly, watching him, a lump rising in her throat.

…_This is what it must feel like to be Emma._

"Over a year ago, I commenced Operation Cobra – it was the first phase in my plan to break the curse."-he paused-"Identification. The plan was to start identifying people from the Enchanted Forest… and eventually to get the Savio– uh, Emma to identify herself. _That's_ what we were working on, that's what was with all the sneaking around, and the walkie-talkies and everything."

She frowned, confused.

"Henry… Why are you telling me this?"

He smiled up at her.

"Because it's time to start a new operation: Operation Soaring Eagle."

She smiled softly.

"…Soaring Eagle?"

"Uh-huh. We're going to prove your innocence."

She froze, hardly believing her ears.

"What? You …_believe_ me?"

"Sure,"-he shrugged, as though it ought to be obvious-"I inherited my mo– uh, Emma's super-power. I could tell that you were lying about the curse, and I can tell you're telling the truth now."

She noted his slip, and his choice of words. He was being careful of her feelings, and it warmed her. But as she caught up with the rest of his sentence, her face fell.

_A lot of good her super-power did me…_

"…Mom?"-his voice brought her from her brief reverie-"Emma… She's _new_ to all this. She still believes what she _sees_ more than she believes what she _feels_"-he shrugged-"…which is a problem. If this were still a land without magic, her super-power would be enough for her, but it's not anymore. In a land without magic… what you see is what you get. But now? Nothing is what it looks like."-she could hear him choosing his next words-"…But I have _faith_. I have faith in _you_."

Tears stung her eyes, but he continued.

"…I suppose you're wondering why I sent word to you the way that I did."

The sudden change in subject brought a smile to her face.

"It did cross my mind."

"It had to be something that only my real mom would understand."

_Real mom? …Emma?_

It seemed her confusion was evident to him, as he grabbed her forearm to make his next point.

"Listen – you came to see me yesterday."

"No, I–"

"…Only it _wasn't_ you. It was someone _pretending_ to be you."

"How could you tell? How do you know that it's not them sitting here right now?"

"How could I tell? Easy – you'd never try to hurt me, or take me by force."-a gasp caught in her throat-"…and how can I tell now? Your eyes, they belong to you – they match your face."

"But who…?"

"…Who would destroy everything you love?"

_Cora._

And then there was ice.

…in her bones.

…in her veins.

…around her heart.

"H-Henry, I _can't."_

"Yes_, _we _can._"-his use of the plural pronoun caused her heart to twist-"She doesn't know that we're onto her. That gives _us_ the advantage."

Now she was the one to grab his arm, an edge in her voice.

"Henry, if my mother is _here_ then _**nowhere**_ is safe. She's probably watching us right now."

He put covered her hand with his smaller one.

"Only she's _not_. I asked you to meet me _here_ on purpose. Stop and listen – stop and _feel_. This place is safe. _Right_ here and _right_ now."

She paused – the air was perfectly still, perfectly quiet. She could feel the thrum of magic.

_And… something else._

A "something" that put her on high alert.

"…Henry, _what is that?_"

"_That_ is our back-up."

Her eyebrows shot up.

"Your _back-up_?"

"Sure…"-the 'duh' was implied-"what? You didn't think I go into this without back-up did you?"

She frowned.

"You did with Operation Co–"

"I had Emma. And Archie."

…_Archie._

Her heart was seized with sorrow.

_That poor man._

"…But now I have Jefferson and Mr. Gold."

…_**What?**_

She choked on equal parts surprise and panic.

"J-Jefferson? …and _Gold?_ Henry, what did you promise him? Does Emma know about this?"

He shrugged, as though he hadn't just made a deal with the devil.

"As soon as he figured out what was going on he, well… he volunteered and as for Jefferson? He both owes me _and_ hates your mother. But…"-he lowered his head, sheepishly-"we haven't told Emma yet. We're laying a trap and, well… Subtlety isn't exactly her strong suit"

She couldn't help but smile at that, and he cocked his head to the side, smiling

"See? Everything is going to be okay."

And now that …_actually_ made some sense.

Now it was his brow that furrowed – his expression so like her own, just moments ago, that it made her smile.

"We need to hide you – protect you. We're going to be your alibi from here on in. Here," – he shifted in his seat, pulling something from his pocket and pushing it into her hands – "wear this. It'll help us keep track of you. If we know where _you_ are, then we'll know when 'Regina isn't Regina'."

He slid off the park bench, and turned to press and kiss to her cheek.

And then he was off, running down the pathway, looking to all the world as though he was running to catch a school-bus.

…_with not a care in the world._

Tears clouded her eyes and spilled down her cheek.

He should've been care free, but now here he was, in league with the devil and a madman in order to save an evil queen and win over a white knight – taking on the whole world.

Her boy.

* * *

**A/N: I borrowed a little from lovelysadness16's idea that Henry has inherited Emma's super-power.  
I was just going to have this as a therapeutic one-shot, but I'm open to suggestions and ideas…  
Please read and review! ^_^**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi guys – thanks for your favourites, follows & reviews! Far more than I'd expected, really…**

**To Jason (whoever you are): as always, our Rumple is five steps ahead – Emma's reaction is part of his plan (but more on that later…)**

**To lovenevil (whoever **_**you **_**are): This is the chapter in which Henry is given a little… **_**nudge.**_

* * *

_**PREVIOUSLY:**_

He stood behind his register, one palm pressed against the cool glass of the display cabinet.

For all the light and life that had come parading into his world in the last few weeks, he still enjoyed the cool of his dark and musty sanctuary.

Anyone looking in the shop window would've thought he looked to be very busy with something.

Well, they wouldn't have been _completely_ wrong.

_In three…_

_ Two…_

_ One..._

"_**Gold!**_ I need you to keep her _away_ from him!"

Emma burst through his door pulling her son behind her, nearly busting a hinge, never mind the bell.

"And good morning to you too, Miss Swan. What can I do for you this morning?"

"You heard me – I need to keep her away from Henry, and I need you to give me something to do just that."

"I assume that by 'her' you mean Regina."-it wasn't a question-"So what exactly has she done now?"

"She tried to take Henry – right off the street!"

_Hold on a minute…_

He shifted his posture slightly, fixed her with his gaze, effectively camouflaging his sudden pang of unease.

"Attempted kidnapping? Well… Did she harm him at all?"

The glare said it all, really.

"May I have a word with the boy?"

She planted her feet and folded her arms.

"Sure."

"…_Privately_, Miss Swan."

Henry piped up behind her.

"It's okay, Emma."

She twisted slightly, and looked at him with _'but are you __**sure**__' _written in her face. He shot her an _'I'm eleven'_ look right back and she ruffled his hair, giving in.

"Right kid – I'll just be waiting outside."

The bell tinkled and wait outside she did.

_Right outside._

"Henry, step into my office a moment."

He limped through to the back room and Henry trailing behind him.

Gold had something of a soft spot for the boy.

At least, as much of a soft spot as the Dark One could have.

…Which, admittedly, was quite a bit larger than it used to be.

He found himself feeling rather more paternal in his presence.

Had his leg been what it used to be, he would've sat on his haunches to bring himself onto the Henry's level.

As it was he sat in a chair.

"So, now – tell me what happened."

Henry shuffled his feet momentarily.

"Well, I was walking to the bus, and then she appeared out of nowhere – she told me she was my mother and that I was going to come with her no matter what I said… No matter what anyone said. I told her I wouldn't, that she was frightening me and then she grabbed my arm"-he rubbed the place where her finger had clutched him-"_really_ hard. Emma came around the corner then and charged at her and she just… vanished in a puff of blue smoke."

…_Blue smoke._

_**Cora.**_

He sat there, eyeing the boy as he nervously shuffled from one foot to the other.

_...Now what __**aren't**__ you saying?_

"You know… it's almost like she wasn't my mom at all."

_And **there** it is._

"Well now, what makes you say that?"

"Emma… Emma says that she killed Archie."

"…but _you're_ not so sure."

Henry shook his head and looked him square in the eye.

"So… do you think you can help me?"

"You know what? I believe I can."

He gestured to the adjacent chair and waited as the boy seated himself

"Henry, do you know what I think is the most important thing a person can learn? More powerful than magic, more important than the casting of spells – it's the trusting of your own instincts. And that requires a lot of faith, _especially_ when magic is involved, because sometimes your own eyes will lie to you. Do you understand?"

His question was met with a nod, and he leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers.

"Now, if I'm not mistaken, it appears to me as though you've inherited Emma's instincts – her superpower, as it were. And your instincts are telling you that your mother is innocent?"

Another nod, a little more hesitant this time.

"Well, if you're not entirely sure, you can always go and ask her – look her in the eyes and see for yourself if your faith in her is justified. You need to be absolutely sure that you want to do this, because it'll mean going up against a dangerous foe – it'll make Operation Cobra look like a walk in the park."

The boy's face fell serious, his green eyes determined, thinking.

"Okay."

Gold felt a smile creep across his face.

"Tell me Henry – what do you know laying traps?"

* * *

_**SOME TIME LATER...**_

He'd missed spinning. His hands were busy, his mind was calm, clear focused.

He almost didn't notice the rear door swing open and click shut.

_Almost._

"You rang?"

_Of course he'd take the back door._

"Jefferson, you're just in time. Tea?"

He couldn't help but smirk at the other man's unconscious shudder at the sight of the pot and saucers.

"…I'll be fine."

Gold poured himself a cup.

"So you got Henry's message?"

"…In a manner of speaking."

"I have a proposition for you."

"Don't you always?"-Jefferson ignored his pointed look-"So, you've finally decided to un-make your monster?"

"Help Regina?"-he scoffed-" I'm doing nothing of the sort."

Now it was Jefferson's turn for a pointed look.

"That's not what Henry said."

Gold waved his hand vaguely.

_That is neither here nor there._

"The boy's agenda is his own – that the means to each of our ends overlap is nothing more than… coincidence."

"…and your agenda?"

The tea-cup was set in its saucer – he pressed his hands on the work bench, leaning forward.

"I'm on a witch hunt."

"Really? And this has _what_ to do with me exactly?"

"Our Regina's mother is in town. Cora. Though,"-his pause was purely dramatic-"Y_ou_ may remember her better as The Queen of Hearts."

Jefferson froze.

"What do you have in mind?"

Gold smirked.

"You've been my eyes and ears before. You'll be my eyes and ears again. Cora has been masquerading as Regina – you're to keep an eye on her, track her, and note her patterns, her hiding places."

"And how am I supposed to figure out which witch is which?"

"Regina will be wearing one of these" he held up a medallion "It's a ward of sorts."

"…of _'sorts'?_"

He really didn't appreciate the scepticism in other man's voice, no matter how well deserved.

Jefferson really knew him too well.

"Yes. _Of sorts_."

* * *

**A/N: I just loved that scene in Child of the Moon where Gold gives Henry the medallion to control his dreams – I really enjoyed the dynamic there. That's where the first part came from.**

**But then again, the man is still Rumplestiltskin.**

**Soooo… It's **_**complicated**_**. Hence the second part.**

**Anyway, please review – let me know how I'm doing, fill me in on any suggestions or ideas…**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay, so this chapter is short - much shorter... But hopefully, not overdone. **

**Thanks to Addicted1 for all your encouragement ^_^ it's appreciated...**

**Hope you like!**

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"Rumple. I'm touched. I never knew you cared."

The voice in his shop dripped with sarcasm.

"…I think you have me mistaken for someone else."

He looked up as the last tendrils of purple smoke wafted away.

Regina's eyes narrowed.

"What's in this for you?"

He clutched a hand to his chest in mock offence.

"I can't do something out of the goodness of my heart?"

An eyebrow shot up, scepticism written into her features.

"…So the _'goodness of your heart'_ is going to prove my innocence?"

He fixed her with his gaze.

"Oh, I'm not in it for your _innocence_, dearie. That would be your boy. My reasons…" he jabbed a thumb at his chest, "They're my own."

Regina stepped closer, trailing a hand along the display cabinet.

"You're hunting my mother." She raised her head, an edge creeping into her voice, "And _endangering my son_. I hope for your sake you've got something good up your sleeve, or my mother is going to be the least of your worries."

He tilted his head in feigned deference.

"With pleasure, Your Majesty. I…" he spread his arms, a hint of the old theatrics returning, "am the brains of this operation. Our friend Jefferson, the eyes and ears."

Her eyes narrowed.

"…and Henry?"

The act was dropped and there was a bite to his word.

"Why… he's the _bait_."

Her voice dropped into a growl, rage flickering in her eyes.

"_How __**dare**__ you_…"

He smirked, momentarily relishing the rise that his words had gotten out of her.

"Oh, not in my trap, dearie – in your mothers. She knows he's the _only_ _thing_ in this whole place that you'd forsake your better judgement for. The bait in my trap is _**you**_. _**You're**_ the only thing in this world, and all others, that she'd forsake _**her**_ better judgement for."

Regina stood up straight in realisation, murmuring her mother's words.

"…Love is weakness."

"Indeed."

She took a moment to process this information, before leaning in again.

"And Emma? Your '_Saviour'_ you leave in the dark?" her chin tilted up, "_Why?_"

He smiled.

"Ah, Miss Swan… She is the embodiment of True Love. She's powerful, Regina – more so than you and I… And once convinced of something, she tends to explode in a single direction, and with no small amount of force – much like your boy. She will be the brawn of this operation."

Her brow furrowed.

"And how …_exactly_ does this plan of yours fall together?"

"Carefully." His hands busied themselves, "We bring the necessary parties together. The trap swings shut." He glanced up, "…And we all may rest easier in our beds."

She nodded sharply, seemingly satisfied at the explanation she had received.

Or, at least, as satisfied as circumstances would allow.

She turned on her heel and made to leave, only to stop suddenly.

She bit her lip at the question that burned at the tip of her tongue.

Slowly, she faced Rumplestiltskin – her face she thought unreadable.

"Emma… What of the price she pays?"

Inwardly she winced at the question – her voice had been gentler than she'd anticipated.

He cast his gaze over her, curiously.

"Well… What is the price of True Love?" He paused, "…To always forgive? To always protect? Always persevere? _Selflessness_ is the price she pays – it's in the sacrifice she offers up for another."

And she was gone.

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**A/N: So, how'd I do? Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: ****I haven't really written Jefferson before, so let's see how this goes - I'm sincerely hoping that he sounds like himself.**

**It's another short chapter - I hope you like!**

* * *

The madman stood by his window, high above the sleepy little town.

Like a guardian angel.

_...Or an avenging angel. O__r a gargoyle._

_Whatever_.

His telescope had fallen idle for the first time in twenty-eight years.

For the first time in twenty-eight years he'd been happy.

_At peace._

That was, until he'd received his summons from his former employer.

He'd thought he was done with all of that once before. He'd thought he was done with all of that once again.

He _would_ be done with this once more.

…_Just. One. More. Job._

It was a bitter smirk that graced his face as he remembered the last time he'd told himself that.

Only this wasn't a matter of giving his daughter a white rabbit.

This was a matter of giving his daughter tomorrow, and the day after that.

His insight into the Queen's mother was… _Unique_.

He had lived under her rule for more years than he cared to remember.

She had created for him, his own special level of hell, and would do so again, if given half a chance.

...And he would be _damned_ if he let her cast such a fate upon his daughter.

Bending at the waist, he looked through his telescope once more.

It was a slight movement – it felt more like a habit, an impulse.

He focused in on his target and smiled, lifting the two-way radio to his lips.

"Places, people."

* * *

He had been patient – he had _tried_ to be patient – standing silently as the blonde woman had burst into his shop, bursting with accusations and threats of violence.

He had been waiting for those magic words to sound in his ear.

His face flickered with a fraction of a smile, and raised a hand, effectively halting her tirade.

"Miss Swan… I'm afraid that's quite impossible."

"…and what's that supposed to mean?"

"What I mean to say"-he repeated himself-"is that your claim – It. Is. Quite. Impossible."

He pulled out a manila folder and spread its contents across the counter-top.

She stepped closer.

_Photographs. Dozens of them. All of Regina. All of them time-stamped._

"…Do I even _want_ to know why you have these?"

"Just a concerned citizen doing his civic duty."

She suppressed the urge to snort.

_A likely story._

She picked up a handful and examined them.

Regina by her apple tree. Regina through her bedroom window. Regina wandering in the cemetery.

They'd been taken through a telescope. No sign of tampering.

These were legitimate.

"This, I believe, is the one you're looking for."

Emma accepted the proffered photo, and her eyes narrowed.

The date was right. The time was right.

Only it… _couldn't_ be.

Could it?

* * *

**A/N: It's late here, so no more editing - I'm just gonna go collapse somewhere comfortable.**

**Please review, let me know what you think - what you liked, and what you didn't... and now I've got nothing witty to say. At all.**

**Goodnight. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay! Next chapter! _Finally_ getting to the business end of things... **

**I'm hoping that I've captured the dynamic between Emma & Regina in a way that feels plausible - I do love those two, and want to do them justice.**

**Thanks to everyone who's been following along - it's always an encouragement :D**

**...also, I'm not really sure where Regina's apple tree actually _is. _It's outside the window of her office at the town-hall, but then in pretty much every work of fanfiction that I've read it's in her back yard. So I'm just going to postulate that there's more than one apple tree in Regina's life.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Her lungs burned and her heart raced.

What had started as a jog had turned into a sprint.

Gold had stood there, watching her with the photo in his hand, watching the cognitive dissonance set in.

Her instincts had kicked in, and she'd taken off before her mind had had a chance to catch up.

Her feet had taken her to the Mayor's Mansion.

…_Henry._

He was standing there, but the front gate, hand on the latch.

"Kid! Henry!"

His head snapped up as she pulled up to him.

She crouched forward, elbows on her knees, catching her breath.

Emma lowered her voice, looking him in the eye.

"Listen to me – I need you to go and find somewhere safe… Mary Margaret's, Granny's – _anywhere but here._ I have a bad feeling about this, now I need you to _go_. I need you to _get out of here_."

He gave her a solemn nod and no arguments.

"Good luck."

…_Good luck?_

The thought that he may have known something that she didn't might have phased her, if she'd had time for thinking. Unfortunately, she had no such luxury.

Springing the latch on the gate, she placed a hand to a holster that held no gun.

_Shit._

* * *

She stood beneath her apple tree, heart in her throat.

The medallion that hung around her neck was fidgeted with nervously.

She might've known that imp couldn't be trusted.

She might've known he hadn't meant her to leave this place alive.

It had been imperceptible at first, but as the days had passed it was undeniable.

His little trinket was sapping her of her magic.

Crippling her.

If it hadn't been Henry that had given it to her, Henry that had told her to wear it... if had she not been told her that it would keep her safe - that it would keep _him_ safe - she would've thrown it away long ago.

He'd known that she would do anything for Henry.

_Anything._

She closed her eyes, and leaned back again the rough bark.

She'd become a desperate soul, and he knew it.

He knew her greatest weakness.

She was done.

Now all that was left was to stand on her mark and wait for the end.

_Anything for Henry._

Her reverie would have brought her to tears had it not been disturbed by a rustling in the bushes.

An instinctual sliver of fear ran through her, but she caught herself.

Cora didn't 'rustle'.

The inexplicable relief that accompanied the glimpse of blonde curls was only tempered by the sight of the gardening stake that she held like a javelin.

She didn't need to ask why Emma was here, though it looked as though Emma might.

They locked eyes, and the makeshift spear was lowered.

It only seemed like a few short paces before the blonde had invaded her personal space.

"Regina, what the _hell_ is going on?"

Strange. She'd expected rage. She'd expected more... fury.

Instead she was met with desperately confused green eyes, searching her own.

Her brow furrowed.

"Gold... he didn't tell you, did he?"

"...Tell me _what?"_

But she didn't answer. She couldn't. _  
_

"Hello, dear."

Emma spun around, taking in the other Regina.

Not taking her eyes off of her, she slowly sidled two steps to her right, extending an arm behind her, coming to stand between the two women.

…_Right in the line of fire._

Regina hadn't known quite what to expect from the Saviour.

She certainly hadn't expected to be on the receiving end of her protective graces.

She hadn't expected to stand in the place that, until just now, had been reserved for Henry – the place reserved for… _family._

Regina could hear the pieces falling together before the other woman finally ground out a single word.

_"Cora."_

Unconsciously she tangled her fingers with Emma's.

As to who exactly was seeking reassurance from who, she wasn't quite sure.

She could feel the magic that crackled and swirled around their hands and quickly schooled her features, careful not to give anything away.

She could feel the animosity rolling off the blonde in waves – it was instinctual, fierce, powerful.

Like a mother bear.

Unfortunately, Emma wasn't the only one with her hackles raised.

"Hand over my daughter."

"Oh, that is _so_ not going to happen."

Cora tilted her chin up, obviously displeased by this turn of events.

Regina recognised that look.

Her fingers tightened reflexively.

Emma squeezed right back and her heart warmed.

They could do this.

* * *

**A/N: So, what did you think? Please review - give me your feedback, whether positive or negative, it's all good.**


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